Our lives are woven by the weavers of Time, in a pattern we cannot see. Flavia

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Well-It Is July Again!

This has been a most peculiar summer. After our most peculiar Spring, here comes peculiar summer. We have had a LOT of rain, thunder boomers, floods, and HIGH grass. Everything is LUSH and GREEN. Normally by this time things are beginning to get browner and drier. Mowing slows down. It is unbearably HOT and HUMID. So along comes the rain this year and cooler temps. But now-July has returned. HOT and HUMID has returned. AC is turned on. Fans are circulating the air.

I have gone completely off my rocker this time. I found a wonderful Leclerc Tissart Tapestry Loom on the internet. These looms are no longer being made. I emailed the lady and asked if it was still available, etc. She replied it was and that there was one other person interested. I told her to invoice me through PayPal and that I would drive up to Kansas City and pick it up. I never heard another word from her. I tried three times-no response. So I decided it was the universe telling me I didn't really need this new complication in my life.

I continued to look at tapestries on Pinterest; I lurked around looking at tapestry weaver's blogs; I read about techniques. It has been MANY years since I have done anything like this. I became a little bit obsessive, but realistic that my skills are really rusty.

Suddenly another Tissart loom was offered through one of my groups on Facebook. I emailed the guy, and we discussed a price and I said I would come on Wednesday to pick it up. Tuesday my friend CJE and I drove through a horrible flood and thunderstorm to get out of Arkansas. We drove to Lawrence and spent some time at the Yarn Barn in Lawrence KS. We spent the night and the next morning we toodled over to the yarn shop in Holton, KS to pick up the new loom.

CJE drove over on Thursday to help me put it together. It took a little bit of puzzle making, but it actually went together pretty easily. I have rubbed it down with Howards Wax and Oil and cleaned it up. I have tied up the treadles. Now I am waiting for the warp thread to arrive. I am playing with ideas for a design. I put it in my spinning room because that room has a higher ceiling than any other room. It is pretty large.

I am plying my redbud leaf colored yarn on the treadle wheel. I am spinning the tansy leaf colored yarn on the electric spinner. Lovely greens. So pretty. Green is all around us right now.

Noodles has really slowed down lately. He is showing his age. He is inside more than normal enjoying less humidity in the house. He is really hanging onto me more since he is the only fur person now.

Last night a raccoon decided to investigate the recycle box. I finally opened the door and told it to go away. It just looked at me, blinked and waddled a little bit away. I finally had to step out on the deck and shoo it away. I am sure it came back to finish its forage plan.

The goats were to arrive this week, but the rain last week has delayed things. I cannot believe how thick my honeysuckle jungle has gotten with all the rain. I hope these goats can give me some relief from the thickness and the encroachment on the yard.

I got my yard mowed, but it looks like a hay field. It is pretty sad looking this year. The grass is very thick and it holds water a long time after a rain. I had frogs running like crazy when I was mowing next to the fence on the east side. It was very swampy there.

I am still knitting on my handspun shawl. I love the colors in this piece. I am also knitting on the Sanquhar scarf sampler. I decided to knit a hexagon last night and see if I like the pattern. I don't want to start a new project, but I was bored. I also have some new sock yarns that are gorgeous. I haven't been knitting so many socks as before, but these yarns are great colors.

My dyeing has slowed to nothing. I haven't been feeding the indigo pot. I have been busy making quick trips to Kansas and doing crazy things.

Yesterday was RC's birthday. He is 42 years old this year. It is so hard for me to imagine that.

I guess that is all for this little start of July. Hot has returned. Things are starting to dry up. AC on. Staying in except early morning and late,late evening. Reading, knitting, spinning to fill up time.

About Me

I live in an urban-rural area in northern Washington County. I live with my cat Noodles. I recently added a minature Schnauzer named Patty to the family. She was rescued from a puppy mill where she was a breeding dog.